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Mack Chico

By

2009/04/20 at 12:00am

Jessica Alba to co-star in “The Killer Inside Me”

04.20.2009 | By |

Jessica Alba to co-star in “The Killer Inside Me”

A state official in Oklahoma has confirmed that part of a film starring Casey Affleck, Jessica Alba and Kate Hudson will be shot on location at various towns.

Jill Simpson, the director of the Oklahoma Film and Music Office, said that principal photography for the film “The Killer Inside Me” will start in New Mexico before moving to Oklahoma. Scenes will be shot on location in Guthrie, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Enid and Cordell.

She said it will be the largest film produced in Oklahoma since the box-office hit “Twister” in 1996.

Preproduction for the Guthrie portion of the shoot for “The Killer Inside Me” will resume on Monday. One of the film’s producers, Michael Eaton of London-based Revolution Films, will arrive in Oklahoma the same day.

Conflicting schedules for the actors and lack of full financing for the film delayed the start of filming, which had been scheduled for March 24. Chad Burris, the owner of Tulsa-based Indion Entertainment Group, said the necessary funding has been secured.

“That, coupled with, I think, they finally got the actors’ schedules lined out and the stars aligned and all the other great things that have to happen before a movie can actually get going,” Burris said.

Affleck’s availability for his scenes in the film is still in flux, Simpson said, although preparations are moving forward.

“The good news is, it’s back on and they’re going to be filming here,” Simpson said.

The movie will be a crime thriller based on a 1952 novel by Jim Thompson, who was born in Anadarko in 1906. The storyline involves a likable rural deputy sheriff, portrayed by Affleck, who has the mind of a murderous psychopath.

Thompson also co-wrote the screenplays for two films by Stanley Kubrick, “The Killing” in 1956 and “Paths of Glory” in 1957. He died in 1977.

Oklahoma’s incentive of offering up to a 17 percent rebate on production expenditures for companies filming in the state proved to be a strong lure for Muse Productions of Los Angeles and Revolution, Simpson said, along with the work of Indion Entertainment.

“I’m certainly happy the film’s going to happen and, you know, I never really thought it wasn’t going to,” Burris said. “I think there are people that got a little more nervous about it than I did. I think it’s a great boon for Oklahoma. I think it’s going to do a lot for us having this production here.”

Jack Rico

By

2009/04/20 at 12:00am

Watch 9 clips from ‘Angels & Demons’!

04.20.2009 | By |

Watch 9 clips from 'Angels & Demons'!

We have been hearing that ‘Angels and Demons’ is one of the most awaited films of the 2009 Hollywood Movie calendar and we finally get a glance at how good it might be. We have just obtained 9 clips of the film for your viewing pleasure and even though it didn’t knock our socks off, the storyline is too enticing to not watch. The film will be released on May 15th and we just heard that Dan Brown’s next novel The Lost Symbol will be in stores in September. We await until then for another good read.

“Angels & Demons,” published in 2000, introduced the Langdon character which is summoned to a Swiss research facility to analyze a cryptic symbol seared in the chest of a murdered physicist. What he discovers is a deadly vendetta against the Catholic Church by a centuries-old underground organization – The Illuminati.

Mack Chico

By

2009/04/15 at 12:00am

McG: from Terminator to Broadway

04.15.2009 | By |

McG: from Terminator to Broadway

Film director McG is looking into Broadway. As per The Hollywood Reporter, “Terminator Salvation” director McG is attached as the director/producer of “Spring Awakening,” based on the smash-hit Broadway rock musical from Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik. The musical has won several awards, including a Tony for Best Musical back in 2007.

“Spring Awakening” tells the story of Melchior Gabor, a young student in 19th century Germany, as he pioneers a sexual discovery amongst his repressed classmates. Through his relationship with the beautiful Wendla Bergmann and his friendship with the troubled Moritz Stiefel, Melchior convinces his peers – and the audience – that teenage sexuality cannot be repressed by societal restrictions.

The cast has seen many actors come and go through the roles. Most recently, Blake Bashoff, who played ill-fated Karl on seasons three and four of “Lost,” starred as Moritz in the musical. Hunter Parrish, currently starring as Mary-Louise Parker’s son on “Weeds,” portrayed Melchior. There’s no indication that these actors will reprise their roles for the movie.

McG will adapt the musical with the assistance of Steven Sater, one of the co-creators of “Spring Awakening.” The musical itself is an adaptation of an 1891 German play with a decidedly darker, less rock-and-roll tone than “Awakening.” Still, the Broadway adaptation didn’t shy away from several hot-button topics including rape and abortion.

“Spring Awakening” is one of several films that McG has found his name attached to in recent months. He’s been linked to a remake of “20000 Leagues Under The Sea” with Will Smith as his desired casting choice, as well as planned sequels to this summer’s “Terminator Salvation.” With “Spring Awakening” in the mix, fans of the robot franchise might have to wait a little bit longer for a fifth installment.

Are you excited for McG’s take on “Spring Awakening,” or would you rather see him continue his work on the “Terminator” franchise? Sing us a tune in the comments section!

Mack Chico

By

2009/04/15 at 12:00am

Sacha Baron Cohen’s "Bruno" gets NC-17 rating

04.15.2009 | By |

Sacha Baron Cohen's "Bruno" gets NC-17 rating

Universal’s “Bruno,” the widely anticipated Sacha Baron Cohen docu-comedy opening in July, has been slapped with an NC-17 rating on its first submission to the Motion Picture Association of America because of numerous sexual scenes that the ratings board considers over the line, according to the studio releasing the film.

Among the objectionable scenes is one in which two naked men attempt oral sex in a hot tub, while one of them holds a baby. In another, Bruno — a gay Austrian fashionista played by Baron Cohen — appears to have anal sex with a man on camera.

Jack Rico

By

2009/04/14 at 12:00am

The Spirit

04.14.2009 | By |

Rating: 2.0

Rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of stylized violence and action, some sexual content and brief nudity.
Release Date: 2008-12-25
Starring: Frank Miller, Will Eisner (Comic)
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.mycityscreams.com/

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Jack Rico

By

2009/04/14 at 12:00am

The Reader

04.14.2009 | By |

Rating: 4.0

Rated: R for some scenes of sexuality and nudity.
Release Date: 2008-12-10
Starring: Bernhard Schlink, David Hare
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.thereader-movie.com/

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Jack Rico

By

2009/04/14 at 12:00am

17 Again (Movie Review)

04.14.2009 | By |

I wanted to like 17 Again for its nostalgic teen appeal, but the script and dialogue were so inept and appalling that there’s not much positive to say about it. Many things went wrong, and scrutinizing the film would only waste time. The ensemble did an okay job, enough to salvage some dignity from the movie, but ultimately, my opinion is irrelevant. The main audience for this teen film will ignore my thoughts, swoon over Zac Efron for a few weeks, and then continue to watch it on DVD for months to come, possibly for eternity.

The storyline is somewhat intriguing—what would you do if you got a second shot at life as your former 17-year-old self? While many questions could arise from this concept, we’ll follow the film’s plot for argument’s sake. Mike O’Donnell (Matthew Perry), a 39-year-old has-been high school basketball star, is struggling to be a good father. But Mike gets another chance when he is miraculously transformed back into a 17-year-old (Zac Efron) to relive his best years and bring his family back together.

The premise might grab some attention, but the execution is baffling. Director Burr Steers doesn’t seem to understand the concept of story development. Perhaps the biggest flaw of 17 Again is its failure to come up with a coherent explanation for how an adult turns into a teenager. In the film, a janitor with magical powers just happens to show up and change him. Moreover, his former teachers, friends, and wife, who should recognize Perry as young Efron, are completely oblivious to this transformation. There’s no explanation, no reason, no care. While plausibility is often overlooked in these kinds of films, the blatant disregard here feels negligent and reckless.

Despite these glaring issues, parents and other adults might be swayed by the nostalgic storyline. Zac Efron is likable, and he covers up many of the movie’s shortcomings. His looks also help mask his limited acting range, but with time and experience, he may grow into a better actor. Overall, kids and Zac fans will enjoy and indulge in this zany, 80s-style teen flick.

Ted Faraone

By

2009/04/14 at 12:00am

State of Play

04.14.2009 | By |

Rated: PG-13 for some violence, language including sexual references, and brief drug content.
Release Date: 2009-04-17
Starring: Matthew Michael Carnahan, Tony Gilroy
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country: USA
Official Website: http://www.stateofplaymovie.net/

Go to our film page

State of Play

There is something about seeing a bloated overweight, unkempt Russell Crowe that makes one cringe – and put down that black and white cookie.  He’d have done well to follow Shelley Winters’ famous advice about playing fat roles.  However, Crowe’s weight is not what goes awry in “State of Play,” a crime thriller from helmer Kevin Macdonald (“The Last King of Scotland”), although being fat does not add much to his character as Cal McAffrey, a reporter at the “Washington Globe”.
 
Until the final reel, “State of Play” (based on an eponymous BBC Television series), has all the makings of a well made film noire:  Bad weather, dark lighting, ominous music, more plot twists than a back road in Connecticut, and corruption in places high and low.  Why, there are even three murder attempts in the first reel, two of them successful.  Until the final reel the storyline fits together like a well crafted jigsaw puzzle.  It has an excellent cast:  Helen Mirren as foul-mouthed newspaper editor Cameron Lynne, Ben Affleck as philandering congressman Stephen Collins, Robin Wright Penn as his wife, Jeff Daniels as the House Majority Whip, and Jason Bateman as a sleazy, not too bright PR man, each playing his part to perfection. Rachel McAdams is convincing as a newspaper blogger who earns her reporting stripes solving a string of four seemingly unrelated murders in a buddy-film subplot opposite Crowe.
 
Pic opens with a drug addict running from a gunman (Michael Berresse) who catches and kills him.  He also shoots a pizza delivery man who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Then the mistress of Congressman Collins, whose committee is investigating the “mercenary” private army on duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, dies mysteriously underneath the wheels of the Washington Metro.  All roads lead to a vast conspiracy with 30 or 40 billion Dollars at stake for the company hoping to profit from the privatization of homeland security at its center.  Crowe’s McAffrey is hot on the trail as dead bodies pile up.  He is also dispensing PR advice to his college roommate, Affleck’s Collins.  Subplots appear to spin out of control but each peels a layer from pic’s onion – until the final reel, that is, when a surprise ending both confuses audiences and leaves unresolved the biggest plot element, the conspiracy and the company at its center – is it real or a red herring?
 
Blame in this case has to be shared.  Screenwriters Matthew Michael Carnahan, Tony Gilroy, and Billy Ray deserve a major chunk.  But many a bad screenplay has been fixed in the edit room.  Take that, Justine Wright.  And one has to ask just how much control Macdonald had over the final cut.  At 127 minutes, it’s not as if the picture had to be fleshed out to feature length.  It coulda been a contender….
 
“State of Play,” distributed in the US by Universal, carries a PG-13 rating, largely due to Mirren’s lines.  Other than that there is little objectionable for children.  But not even adults have a chance of making sense out of it.

Mack Chico

By

2009/04/14 at 12:00am

‘H2: Halloween 2’ reveals Michael Myers!

04.14.2009 | By |

'H2: Halloween 2' reveals Michael Myers!

For those of you who are still interested in H2, Rob Zombie’s follow-up to his execrable remake of Halloween, Comingsoon.net have bagged the first look at one of Michael Myers’ many looks in the upcoming film.

‘One of…?’ We hear you cry. ‘Many looks…?’, we hear others yell. And the answer is, ‘yes!’ Apparently this time Myers (the returning Tyler Mane) will be sporting some different looks throughout the film – including a maskless little number which we hear he pulls off beautifully – as he hunts down his sister, Laurie Strode.

For now, though, today’s first look sees Myers sporting his classic Bill Shatner mask – albeit a more bloodied, torn and burned version than we’re used to, which indicates that a)things aren’t going too well for the slash-happy psycho, and b) he’ll probably ditch that thing at some point.

Rob Zombie has called it a wrap on H2 and is celebrating the occasion by releasing your official first look at Michael Myers in the film. The writer/director stresses this is “one of the many faces Michael 2009.” This comes shortly after fans learned this week that Myers will be shown in various guises (sometimes maskless).

H2 is set for an August 28, 2009 release.

 

Mack Chico

By

2009/04/12 at 12:00am

‘Fast & Furious 5’ is a go in Brazil!

04.12.2009 | By |

'Fast & Furious 5' is a go in Brazil!

Those old parts Universal threw into the Fast & Furious machine churned out new cash and lots of it. Though you might expect the studio to be sitting back and counting their increasingly growing pile of loot, the gears are in motion to ride the franchise into another installment.

Universal confirmed today to E! News that a sequel to Fast & Furious is already in works. That could mean two studio execs shooting the breeze at the urinals or intense boardroom discussions. Either way there’s no doubt Universal wants to extend their winning streak while the going’s good.

The studio was forced into addressing the sequel after Paul Walker proclaimed during an interview this morning to MYfm’s Valentine that he and Vin Diesel are “without question” coming back for more.

Walker even went as far as to throw out a location, “This was supposed to be it (re: Fast & Furious) There wasn’t supposed to be the open-ended closing like there was. When I first read the screenplay, I was like, ‘Man, look what they’re doing.’ But without question, with the way things opened up, Vin and I will be coming back, we’re making a fifth one, and we’re going to Brazil, that’s it.”

With the studio’s bulging economy-defying checking account lets see those streets lined with Brazilian supermodels. There’s an extra $5 million at the box office alone.

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